South Africa Bow Out of World Cup With Heads Held High

30 June 2026
Council of Southern African Football Associations (Johannesburg)

Bafana Bafana bowed out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a heart-breaking stoppage time 0-1 defeat to tournament co-hosts Canada in a Last 32 match played at the Los Angeles Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Stephen Eustáquio broke South African hearts when he powered Canada to the Last 16 of the global tournament following his goal scored in the 92nd minute. The Canadians will now face either Morocco or the Netherlands in the next round.

"We are disappointed because we wanted to win. It would have been a little miracle to get to the third round, but we do not have to be too disappointed. What we achieved here was good, and I am very happy and very proud of my team," coach Hugo Broos said.

SAFA President Dr Danny Jordaan said while the defeat was disappointing, Bafana Bafana can hold their heads high after making history during this tournament.

"It is sad that we are bowing out of the World Cup today, but we have to applaud this team after what they did in this tournament. They made history on Wednesday this week when we qualified for the second round for the first time ever after beating South Korea 1-0 in the last group match in Monterrey. We will take this with us when we go back home and build on it," said Dr Jordaan.

Read the original article on Cosafa.

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